Amazon.com: Man on Wire: James Marsh: Amazon Instant Video

Product Details

Synopsis: On August 7, 1974, A young Frenchman named Philippe Petit stepped out on a wire illegally rigged between the World Trade Center's twin towers in New York. After dancing for nearly an hour on the wire, he was arrested, taken for psychological evaluation, and brought to jail before he was finally released. This documentary incorporates Petit's footage to show the numerous extraordinary challenges he faced in completing the artistic crime of the century.

Starring: Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel

Supporting actors: Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix, David Forman, Alan Welner, Mark Lewis, Barry Greenhouse, Jim Moore, Guy F. Tozzoli, Paul McGill, David Demato, Ardis Campbell, Aaron Haskell, Shawn Dempewolff-Barrett, David Roland Frank, Megan Delay, Laurence Gates, Joel Ney, Robert Sciglimpaglia

Directed by: James Marsh

Genre: Documentary, Biography, Crime

Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes

Studio: Magnolia

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and nudity, and drug references

ASIN: B001OSIV62 (Rental) and B001NEI96O (Purchase)

Rights & Requirements

Rental rights: 48 hour viewing period Details

Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details

Compatible with: Mac and Windows PC online viewing, compatible instant streaming devices, TiVo DVRs. System requirements

Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

Also available on DVD

Man on Wire DVD ~ Philippe Petit

4.5 out of 5 stars (144) $14.49

Theatrical Release Information

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and nudity, and drug references
Production Company: Discovery Films, BBC Storyville, UK Film Council, Wall to Wall, Red Box Films

Video Format Details

Online Viewing	PC Download	TiVo box	Portable device
View instantly from any PC or Mac with a broadband connection	Ready to watch in about 40 minutes*	Ready to watch in about 45 minutes*	Ready to transfer in about 35 minutes*

* Your download times may vary--estimates shown are for a typical DSL connection (1.5 Mbits/sec). Rental videos cannot be transferred to a portable device.

Customer Reviews

144 Reviews

5 star:		(98)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

Average Customer Review

4.5 out of 5 stars (144 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

146 of 168 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beneath the Thrill, a Lot of Sadness, November 11, 2008

By

Giordano Bruno (Wherever I am, I am.) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Man on Wire (DVD)

I was lured into seeing this film by my teenage son, who is a circus acrobat by genetic conviction as surely as Philippe Petit was a high-wire walker and as I am a musician. I would never have entered the theater if I'd known what I'd be seeing. I have a pathologically empathetic response to films. When I was a little kid, I used to shout out warnings to Tweetie Bird when the cat got near. During fight scenes, my whole body twitches and my wife gets nervous for the safety of the unsuspecting head in front of me. I'm a climber in real life. I've been to the summit of Annapurna. But my blood pressure rises and I tremble with acrophobia at Hollywood simulations of climbing. This film Man on Wire took two years off my life, I'm sure. It's that intense, with its coy intersplicing of still photos and super-eight footage of Petit in mid-air and lovely slow talking-head interviews of Petit and his accomplices, years later, clearly establishing that they all survived to tell the tale.

Those interviews of middle-aged daredevils, reminiscing about their greatest caper, were as intense for me as the dodgy accomplishment of the adventure. It was literally the end of a love affair with life for all of them, something "too hot not to cool down," an overture too overwhelming to be followed by a mere opera. When Petit's boyhood friend broke down in tears at the waning of their friendship, when Petit's wife-the-love-of-his-life felt the reality that his life no longer needed hers, the whole social cost of Petit's obsession moved me also almost to tears. Hey, I might have cried if my heart had slowed down to twice normal. I felt an urge to grab my son and hug or shake him, saying "don't let your art be more to you than your life."

There's more to this film than a mere victimless heist thriller.

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Comment Comments (28)

51 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best documentary of the year, September 7, 2008

By

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Man on Wire (DVD)

Let me state upfront that I am a sucker for great non-fiction documentaries. I've always believed that life is stranger than fiction. And this is just the last (and perhaps best) example of it.

"Man on Wire" (98 min.) tells the improbable story of Phillipe Petit's dream (and eventual reality) of walking on a high wire between the two WTC buildings on August 7, 1974. The movie starts with his humble beginngins of being a street artist, eventually leading to his wanting to do high wire walks, starting with the Paris Notre Dame, then the Sidney Harbor, and then eventually the World Trade Center Towers. The movie does an excellent job building the excitement into what it took to eventually pull off that implossible event. All of the main players of the event are interviewed now more than 30 years after the event, and Philippe Petit turns out to be a master entertainer and story teller. When you are watching it all unvolve, you can't but help be in awe of it all. Just exilerating, period.

If this movie doesn't get serious consideration of being nominated for best documentary of 2008 at the Oscars, there is something terribly wrong with the entire system. This is one of the most enthralling movies I've seen this year, and I've seen a lot of movies.

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31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life on the edge, August 19, 2008

By

big fan (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Man on Wire (DVD)

Don't think a documentary about a high-wire walker could be worth 5 stars? Think again! This riveting and inspirational movie combines still photographs, reenactments, actual video, and interviews with the people involved in Phillipe Petit's high wire adventures. Phillipe shows us what it means to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, follow your dreams, and squeeze every last drop out of life. If he could walk between the Twin Towers, just imagine what you can do...

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Man On Wire -- DVD
This is a very compelling account of an interesting and daring high-wire walker. The DVD comes with some worthwhile extras which add to the story told by the feature film. Read more

Published 5 days ago by TechnologyDependant

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping documentary of a self-centered man
I imagine most people who achieve incredible goals must have some self-centered-ness. Jobs. Gates. This French-guy who walked across the World Trade Center on a wire in the mid... Read more

Published 7 days ago by Tony C. Hsieh

2.0 out of 5 stars Certainly not five stars
I have no idea how this has been rated so highly. Maybe the people who rated it are huge fans of tightrope walkers and it maybe deserves five stars compared to other tightrope... Read more